BLACKSBURG, Va. – Hokie football is officially back. And with over 66,000 people in Blacksburg for the home opener against ODU, local businesses are feeling a boom.
“When there’s 70,000 people half a mile away in Lane Stadium, you know you’re gonna have a lot of them coming here,” Cabo Fish Taco Regional Manager Richard Barrar said.
Sold-out crowds for Hokie football don’t just mean business for the university.
Barrar says football season means extra business.
“Game days here are huge. Big drinking day for everybody. People have been out, I heard tailgates started at eight a.m. today, even though the game is at eight.”
Barrar says there’s a special crowd on game days.
“We have customers that we only see on game days. Every time they come back for a game, they come in here,” he said.
Down the road, the Clay Corner Inn sees a similar boost in business.
After a slow summer, owner Joshua Roseberry says the season is a warm welcome for the bed and breakfast.
“The first game is a really nice start to the season, but we have to make sure that we’re ready because it goes from zero to fast in a hurry,” Roseberry said.
The Clay Corner Inn says they book up each year as soon as the football schedule is released.
They’ve started offering tailgating in recent years, to give guests the full Virginia Tech experience.
“It is a family atmosphere that I’ve just never seen anywhere else. It’s a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. Hokies look after Hokies,” Roseberry said.
Barrar says it’s not only a boost to his business, but to the entire Blacksburg economy.
“Everyone benefits from having all of these people come into town. It helps Blacksburg grow and just get better and better,” Barrar said.